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Tarzan
Tarzan is a 1999 American animated adventure film produced b Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 37th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, it is based on the story Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and is the first animated major motion picture version of the Tarzan story. Directed by Chris Buck and Kevin Lima with a screenplay by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White, Tarzan features the voices of Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close and Rosie O'Donnell with Brian Blessed, Lance Henriksen, Wayne Knight and Nigel Hawthorne. Pre-production of Tarzan began in 1995 with Kevin Lima selected as director, being later joined by animator Chris Buck the same year. Following a first draft by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White and Dave Reynolds were brought in to re-construct the third act and add additional humor to the screenplay. English musician Phil Collins was recruited to compose and record songs which were integrated with a score by Mark Mancina. Meanwhile, the production team embarked on a research trip to Uganda and Kenya to study the gorillas. Animation for the film was done in California, Orlando, Florida and Paris with Deep Canvas, the pioneering computer animation software system, predominantly used to create three-dimensional backgrounds. Tarzan was released on June 18, 1999, to a positive reaction from critics who praised the film's animation and music. Against a production budget of 130 million dollars (then the most expensive animated film ever made until Disney's Treasure Planet (2002) which cost 140 million dollars,) the film grossed 448.2 million dollars worldwide becoming the fifth-highest film release in 1999, second-highest animation release of 1999 behind Toy Story 2 (1999), and the first Disney animated feature to open at first place at the North American box office since Pocahontas (1995). The film has led to many derived works, such as a Broadway adaptation, a television series The Legend of Tarzan and two direct-to-video follow-ups - the sequel Tarzan & Jane (2002) and the midquel Tarzan II (2005). Plot In the 1880s, an English couple and their infant son escape a burning ship, ending up on land near uncharted rainforests off the coast of Africa. The couple craft themselves a treehouse from their ship's wreckage, but are subsequently killed by Sabor, a rogue leopardess. Kala, a female mountain gorilla who recently lost her own child to Sabor, hears the cries of the orphaned human infant and finds him in the ruined treehouse. Though she is attacked by Sabor, Kala and the baby manage to escape. Kala takes the baby back to the gorilla troop to raise as her own, an act of which her mate, Kerchak, disapproves. Kala raises the human child, naming him Tarzan. Though he befriends other gorillas in the troop and other animals, including the young female gorilla named Terk and the paranoid male elephant called Tantor, Tarzan finds himself unable to keep up with them, so he takes great efforts to improve himself. As a young man, Tarzan is able to kill Sabor with his crude spear and protect the troop, gaining Kerchak's reluctant respect. The gorilla troop's peaceful life is interrupted by the arrival of a team of human explores from England, consisting of Professor Porter, his daughter Jane, and their hunter-guide Clayton. Jane is accidentally separated from the group and chased by a pack of baboons. Tarzan saves her from the baboons. He recognizes that she is the same as he is: a human. Jane leads Tarzan back to the explores' camp, where both Porter and Clayton take great interest in him - the former in terms of scientific progress while the latter hoping to have Tarzan lead him to the gorillas so that he can capture them and return with them to England. Despite Kerchak's warning to be wary of the humans, Tarzan continues to return to the camp and be taught by Porter, Clayton and Jane to speak English and learn of the human world, and he and Jane begin to fall in love. However, they are having a hard time convincing Tarzan to lead him to the gorillas, due to Tarzan's fear for their safety from the threat of Kerchak. The explorers' returns to retrieve them. Jane asks Tarzan to return with them to England, but Tarzan in turn asks Jane to stay with him when Jane explains the unlikelihood of ever returning to Tarzan's home. Clayton convinces Tarzan that Jane will stay with him forever if he reveals the gorillas. Tarzan agrees and leads the party to the nesting grounds, while Terk and Tantor lure Kerchak away to avoid having him attack the humans. Porter and Jane are excited to mingle with the gorillas, but Kerchak returns and threatens to kill them. Tarzan is forced to hold Kerchak at bay while the humans escape, and decides to leave the troop himself, now humiliated by his actions. Kala takes Tarzan to the treehouse she found him in, shows him his true past, and tells him that she wants him to be happy whatever he decided. Tarzan puts on a suit that belonged to his father, signifying his decision to go to England. When Tarzan boards the ship with Jane and Porter the next day, they are ambushed by Clayton and his band of stowaway thugs and detained in the brig. Tarzan flees with the help of his friends, and he races back to the gorillas' home ground. Clayton mortally wounds Kerchak and then engages Tarzan in a fierce battle across the vine-covered trees. Although Tarzan spares his life, Clayton inadvertently lynches himself when he falls with a vine tangled around his neck. Kerchak, in his dying breath, finally accepts Tarzan as his own and names him as leader of the gorilla troop. The rest of the gorillas are freed after scaring away the rest of Clayton's men. The next day, as Porter and Jane prepare to leave on the ship, Tarzan reveals that he now plans to stay with the gorilla troop. As the ship leaves shore, Porter encourages his daughter to stay with the man she loves, and Jane jumps overboard to return to shore; Porter shortly follows her. The Porters reunite with Tarzan and his family and embark on their new life together. Cast * Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan * Alex D. Linz as young Tarzan * Minnie Driver as Jane Porter * Glenn Close as Kala * Lance Henriksen as Kerchak * Brian Blessed as Clayton * Nigel Hawthorne as Professor Archimedes Q. Porter * Rosie O'Donnell as Terk * Wayne Knight as Tantor * Taylor Dempsey as young Tantor Songs * Two Worlds (performed by Phil Collins) * You'll Be in My Heart (vocals by Phil Collins and Glenn Close) * Son of Man (performed by Phil Collins) * Trashin' The Camp (vocals by Rosie O'Donnell) * Strangers Like Me (performed by Phil Collins) * Two Worlds Finale (performed by Phil Collins) * You Will Be in My Heart (end credits) (performed by Phil Collins) * Thashin' the Camp (performed by Phil Collins and *NSYNC) International releases For information about international dubs and releases, click here. Category:1999 films Category:1990s American animated films Category:American musical films Category:Films produced by Bonnie Arnold Category:Films directed by Kevin Lima Category:Films directed by Chris Buck Category:Film scores by Phil Collins Category:Film scores by Mark Mancina Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios films Category:Walt Disney Pictures Category:Walt Disney Feature Animation